Regulation

WASHINGTON — The owner of four Midwest ethanol plants has agreed to pay more than $1.7 million to resolve allegations it failed to report toxic chemical releases in four Midwestern states. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the total penalty,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a new online tool to help communities gauge the extent pollution is contributing to health risks for their residents. It is intended primarily to benefit residents of disadvantaged communities.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is asking Congress to help reform how it collects money to expand and provide telecom services to every American. The reason? The Universal Service Fund is stuck in a “death spiral,” according to FCC... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has extended the deadline to make comments on two potential wind energy areas in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf to Sept. 2. Previously the deadline for responses and comments had... Read More

WASHINGTON — The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday solidified the Federal Communications Commission’s ability to reallocate spectrum that went largely unused. "I am pleased with the court's decision, which upholds the FCC's broad authority to manage the nation's... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission is asking the public if they’d like more privacy shields to protect them from “commercial surveillance” and poor data security. The commission announced an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Thursday that kicks off the... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission officially denied applications from SpaceX to deploy Starlink satellites to help bridge the broadband gap and from another company, LTD Broadband, that would expand its wireless internet. “After careful legal, technical and policy review,... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is looking into the possibilities of assembling and manufacturing in space through a new notice of inquiry adopted in a unanimous vote at its August meeting. Looking into this category, called In-Space, Assembly, and... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court decision Friday will allow greater tracking of privately owned drones whose presence is growing in the sky nationwide — sometimes unwanted. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., affirmed the Federal Aviation... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission is attempting to block Meta, formerly known as Facebook, from purchasing a virtual reality fitness application in what the commission says is the company’s quest to buy its way to the top. “Instead of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission proposed $4.35 million in fines against 73 rural broadband companies that applied and received government funding to build their rural networks but never did. The companies had all won bids in 2020 for areas... Read More

WASHINGTON — Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel is asking the country’s top cellphone carriers for information on how each company uses and retains customer geolocation data. It’s important because “mobile internet service providers are uniquely situated to capture a... Read More

WASHINGTON — Throughout the various iterations of the Federal Communications Commission, its members have essentially had to answer one question: “How do you make sure technology as it develops and evolves can be enjoyed by everyone in the country?” said... Read More

WASHINGTON — The proposal to change the Federal Communications Commission’s definition of broadband speeds by Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel last week could help “future-proof” the country’s once-in-a-generation opportunity to build broadband infrastructure, said Shirley Bloomfield, CEO of the Rural Broadband Association.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission began to question Elon Musk about his potential attempt to pull out of his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter more than a month before he made it official. The questions came... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission is fining the company responsible for about 10 million robocalls that directed customers to call “ScammerBlaster” — which scammed customers. The commissioners voted unanimously to fine the company $116 million at their monthly meeting... Read More

WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued guidance to over 60,000 different retail pharmacies, reminding them that under federal civil rights laws, and as recipients of federal financial assistance, they are prohibited from discriminating... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission asked phone companies to cut off a business they believe is behind billions of those pesky robocalls saying “We’ve been trying to reach you concerning your car’s extended warranty.” On Thursday the commission sent... Read More

WASHINGTON — Trouble with a longtime “caging” vendor has the Democratic National Committee and its senatorial campaign arm asking the Federal Election Commission whether they can retain and use contributions deposited after the 10-day deadline mandated by agency regulation. In... Read More

WASHINGTON — Federal employees with crypto-assets shouldn’t be working on new rules and regulations that could influence the value of those assets, according to a new legal advisory from the Office of Government Ethics. This comes as multiple agencies across... Read More

WASHINGTON — There’s increasing scrutiny on the deal that would allow 64 local news stations to be bought by the hedge fund Standard General. Last week the NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America and National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-CWA filed... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday dramatically limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants, dealing a major blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to address climate change. The 6-3 ruling written by Chief... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Friday stayed the Food and Drug Administration's ban on sales of Juul Labs Inc's e-cigarettes, after the company appealed the agency's order on the grounds the ban would cause it "irreparable harm." The... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered Juul Labs to pull its electronic cigarettes from the U.S. market, a move intended to curb a multibillion-dollar industry blamed for sparking a national surge in teen vaping.  "Today's action... Read More

WASHINGTON — Business groups and corporate lobbyists were among those pushing back hardest as the deadline elapsed Friday on a Securities and Exchange Commission proposal that would require companies for the first time to disclose their carbon emissions and climate... Read More

WASHINGTON — Verizon Communications and AT&T have voluntarily agreed to delay some deployment of their long-awaited C-band 5G usage until July 2023 as air carriers continue to work to retrofit passenger and cargo aircraft to ensure they do not encounter... Read More

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Thursday rolled out a proposed overhaul of long-standing policies governing how new power projects are connected to transmission lines. The intention behind the proposal from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is to unstop a bottleneck... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration on Friday gave its approval for COVID-19 vaccines for children age 5 and younger.  The shots could start as early as next week if, as expected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention... Read More

WASHINGTON — International partnerships — sharing technology and education — are vital for cracking down on robocalls, according to a new report from the North American Numbering Council, an FCC advisory committee. A U.S.-Canada partnership to implement cross-border caller ID... Read More

WASHINGTON — The internet platform Sprinkle sought an advisory opinion Friday from the Federal Election Commission on its business plan to boost young voter turnout by making it easier to connect with candidates who align with their values. Voter turnout... Read More